The present invention relates to an adjustable dry friction type of shock absorber which utilizes a piston of a material having a low coefficient of friction, and a small molecular wear particle size.
By way of background, many facilities require a nonfluid shock absorber because fluid leakage cannot be tolerated. In the past, many dry shock absorbers utilized elements of asbestos and other like materials. These elements shedded particles which were contaminants to their environments. By way of further background, the clearance between sliding parts is proportional to the wear particle size, which is defined as the size of the particles which are shed during frictional engagement between sliding objects. When one of the sliding parts has a small wear particle size, there can be small clearances between the sliding parts which in turn results in rapid shock absorbing responses. Furthermore, where one of the sliding elements has a small wear particle size and has a low coefficient of friction, misalignment or side loading of a piston of a shock absorber will not result in significant friction, while still retaining the tight clearances which are desired.